


7 things Shireen teaches Stannis

by Greeneyesthickthighs



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 15:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3213455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greeneyesthickthighs/pseuds/Greeneyesthickthighs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven things Shireen teaches her father - acceptance, emotion, love, patience recognition, revenge, understanding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	7 things Shireen teaches Stannis

**Author's Note:**

> "She had never loved him so much as she did in that instant"  
> ~ George RR Martin

 

 

* * *

 

**ACCEPTANCE**

When his daughter is placed in his arms, he cannot stop the swell of disappointment when he looks down at his healthy and hale daughter, pink cheeked and rose lipped, a girl who could have been a boy.

The Maester assures him of his daughter’s health but he can barely hear him over the sound of his wife’s panicked reassurances that boys will follow, strong boys they will call Baratheon names.

“Shireen,” He decides then, silencing them both. “Have it be Shireen.”

 

* * *

 

**EMOTION**

It is a year later and his hale daughter is suddenly close to death. She has contracted greyscale, her face heavily inflicted by the disease. He venomously blames Robert. Dragonstone has perfect conditions to incubate such an illness, the damp and cold was practically designed to harbour such diseases.

He can barely utter the words to excuse himself, practically sprinting from the room where his daughter breathes desperate, rattling breaths.

The girl with his eyes almost dies in his arms. He had long since given up on the gods, but those nights when he held her and paced the corridors he almost knelt in prayer for the sake of his fragile daughter.

 

* * *

 

**LOVE**

Stannis Baratheon was never a man of affection, not as a boy and not now. He has often brushed aside the warm gestures of family, like his Estermont relations or the thoughtless caresses of his parents when foul moods hit him as a child. Robert never hugged him, not even after their parent’s death, and Renly has been taught not to.

However, when his five year old daughter throws her chubby arms around him, he goes still as stone. He waits for her to give up, as all the others have done in the face of his stoicism, but she surprises him. She holds on stubbornly, refusing to give in. So he awkwardly cradles her in his arms, squeezing her warm little body to his torso.

“Ouch papa, you’re hugging me too hard!” is Shireen’s muffled response; apparently his embrace was a poor copy of hers. She squirms until he loosens his hold enough that she can grasp him tighter. She squeezes him with her desired pressure and settles into his arms once more, expecting him to comply with her wishes. He swallows his petulance and attempts to copy her, privately enjoying the weight of her in his arms, the press of her face against his stomach.

“Better, Papa, much better.”

 

* * *

 

**PATIENCE**

“Vile-“

“No Shireen,” Stannis grinds his teeth. “It’s not _Vile_ -yria, its _Val-_ yria.”

Her little brow furrows, “Vil-“She tries again, running a tiny pink finger over the troubling word. She only needs once look at her father’s face to know she’s still saying it wrong. “Vile-“ she tries once more A sharp sigh cuts her off and unwanted tears fill her eyes and leak down her cheeks before she can stop them.

Stannis is startled at the suddenly emotional child crying in front of him, feeling panic rising deep from his chest. He has no idea how to deal with emotion, much less coming from his daughter. So he settles for what he knows best.

“No Shireen. Try again. Remember your lessons with Maester Cressen.

Her lips pinch together as she focuses. “Vil- _Valyria_.”

The swell of pride is unexpected, but not unwelcome.

 

* * *

 

**RECONGITION**

“What are you leaving father?”

Stannis turns, surprised, not expecting his daughter to be out of bed so early in the morning. “How did you get out of your bed? Where is Maester Cressen?”

Shireen stares back defiantly looking all the world like Renly. “I’m faster now father, Maester Cressen is no match for me.” She announced. “And why are you leaving, father?”

He sighs. “I must return to Kings Landing, Shireen. It is my duty. I am Master of Ships on his grace’s council and I am obligated to return.”

She pouts and he is about to reprimand her impudence, but she replies before he can. “I understand, father. We must all do our duty.”

He nods, dumbfounded, and watches with something close to awe when his daughter walks with a straight back and a high, proud chin back up to the castle, where he can see an exasperated Maester waiting for her with his hands on his hips.

_No,_ he muses, _it is not Renly she resembles, it is me._

 

* * *

 

**REVENGE**

He remembers his experience when Shireen contracted Greyscale vividly, and he promised himself he would never need to feel like that again. The anger, the helplessness, and has taken every step possible to protect Shireen from the world.

But once more, these feelings claw at his stomach, creep up his throat, fills his mouth, burns his eyes, pounds inside his head, and its worse, its far far worse because it’s his fault.

The red woman is screaming about her god, about godly retribution, iron chairs and the power in king’s blood. His face is a thundercloud when he orders his men to seize her, and stricken Lord Commander Snow personally escorts her to the prisoner’s quarters.

He will see her die for this, if he has to rip her heart out, toss her from the top of the wall or burn her alive, he will see her life snatched from her just as she snatched his girl from him.

_He will kill her for the memory of the girl with his eyes._

 

* * *

 

**UNDERSTANDING**

He wonders if this is how Robert felt about Lyanna Stark. That losing the person who was your everything, your most cherished loved one, could cause a person to go to lengths they previously thought unspeakable. That it could cause their downfall, these Baratheon men who love harshly and deeply, and who grieve and rage even worse.

He will regret the day he killed his little brother, his kin, the young boy who used to run through the halls and beg for an extra sweet at dinner and drive the Maester to distraction by splashing around in the puddles during rain storms until his became ill.

He wonders if his daughter can see him, and what she would think.

Would she still hug him so sweetly, and read in his studies and crawl into his lap at the first crash of lightning each storm?

_(He dearly hopes the answer is yes)_


End file.
